Article of furniture



Feb. 10, 1953 LASTlNG 2,627,616

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Jul 12, 1946 Patented Feb. 10,1953

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Hyman Berril Lasting, Portsmouth, Va., assignor, bydirect and mesne assignments, to Metal Products Corporation, Portsmouth,Va., a corporation of Virginia Application July 12, 1946, Serial No.683,034

6 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to furniture and more particularly tomeans for the attachment of two wooden structural members, for instance,the side-rail and cornerpost of a bed of the demountable type.

Most household furniture is fabricated of Wood and the problem ofsecuring together two wooden structural elements in such manner that theresulting joint will be strong is one which has absorbed the attentionof furniture manufacturers and has resulted in many proposals andsuggestionssome of which have been actually embodied in commercialstructures and widely used.

The customary or conventional wooden bed includes a headboard assemblyhaving cornerposts, a footbo-ard assembly having cornerposts, andside-rails, each side-rail connectin a cornerpost of the headboardassembly to a cornerpost of the footboard assembly. practice heretoforeto provide each side-rail with hook plates which project from the endsthereof and to provide each cornerpost with metallic pins or inserts,disposed horizontally and bridging a recess or slot in the post, to bedetach-ably engaged by the hook plate. The pins embedded in thecornerpost ordinarily comprise the only metallic elements associatedwith that post which are engaged by the metal hook plate and, because ofthe relatively small area of contact between these pins and the cornerpost within which they are embedded, excessive strains are sometimestransmitted to the portions of the wooden posts against which the pinsimmediately bear, these strains being oftentimes more than wood iscapable of resisting so that the pins become loose and work out ofposition or the post is broken or splintered.

The purpose of the present inventio'n'is, in a specific sense, toprovide an improved means for detachably securing together the side-railand cornerpost of a bed structure. The improvement is, however,applicable to other articles of furniture. It includes a stressdistributin 'member of novel character by means of which the forcesapplied to the metallic pins embedded in the cornerposts are transmittedto relatively large areas of the associated wooden posts so that thestress is distributed instead of remaining concentrated upon thoseportions of the wood which are immediately engaged by the pins, asheretofore. The essential features of the conventional bed structureremain as before, i. e., the bedpost with its vertically elongated slotto receive the hook plate of the side-rail, together with the metallicIt has been conventional pins, the stress distributing member beingreadily included, the only change necessary to permit its use being toslightly widen the vertical slot or recess in the cornerpost to permitits insertion.

The novel stress distributing member may be applied at the factory inwhich the furniture is being constructed in which event it may beprovided with circular apertures for the reception of the pins of thebedpost, the stress distributing member being first inserted in a slotin the bedpost and the pin thereafter passed through the apertures inthat member. The member likewise may be designed and constructed as arepair member whereby a bed not originally provided with such a membermay be repaired in the field when repairs become necessary. For fieldrepair the member is provided with parallel slots to permit itsinsertion into the elongated recess which is bridged by the steel pins,without first removing the pins. In either case, however, the pins andmember maintain close contact, the member is attached to the bedpost ata plurality of points, and forces transmitted by the pins to the bedpostare communicated thereto through the stress distributing member, insteadof directly, so that the stress is actually widely distributed and nolonger concentrated.

In the accompanying drawings two embodiments of the invention areillustrated by way of example.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view which shows in vertical section portion of a bedpcstequipped with the stress distributing member, the section being taken inthe plane of the recess provided for the reception of the hook plate ofthe side-rail, one end of a side-rail being shown in side elevation,with its associated hook plate,

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the stressdistributing member,

Figure 4 is a vertical section through a bedpost which is equipped witha modified form of stress distributing member, the section being takenin the plane of the vertical recess provided for the reception of suchmember,

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a bedpost equipped with a modified typeof stress distributing member, and

Figure 6 is a perspective View of such member.

A typical beclpost fabricated of wood and of relatively light section isindicated at I0 in the drawings, and a side-rail II. From the end of theside-rail projects the metallic plate I21, commonly known as the hookplate, this plate being of conventional character and provided with twodownwardly and outwardly pin-receiving slots indicated at In and |2brespectively. The bedpost is vertically slotted or grooved to receivethe hook plate I2, the slot being indicated generally at Illa and isequipped with parallel horizontally extending metallic pins i3 which areinserted into the post from one side and which bridge the slot or recessIfla, as shown in Figure 2. The stress distributing member is indicatedat IE. This member is fabricated of metal, either by stamping andbending or by casting, and is seen to comprise amainportion whichincludes two parallel walls l5a connected by a semi-cylindrical part b,and two flanges I50 disposed in a common plane, each such flangecomprising a laterally extending continuation of the associated sidewall I50. of the member. lEa'oh flange is provided with a series ofapertures l5d for the reception of wood screws such as indicated at I6.

The member is so formed that the distance between the mutually facingsurfaces of its walls We is slightly greater than the width of thehook'plate [2. The elongated slot ifia of the bedpos't is thereforesomewhat wider than normal .since it must receive not only the hookplate but likewise the member i5. 7

The stress distributing member illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is forassembly in the held as a strengthening member to render secure afurniture joint previously fabricated elsewhere but which has becomeweakened by use. To effect such assembly it is necessary to widen thepreviously formed slot 29a so that the member 15 may be inserted.Preferably also the face of the bedpost is cut away to receive theflanges [50' so that theplane of the faces of these flanges will beflush with the plane ofthe surface of the apertures hid into the post tosecure themem i ber to the post at a plurality of points.

.The pins it closely engage the member [5 at the outer ends of the slotsifierespectively and it will be apparent that any force applied to thesepins-or either of-them, by the hook plate i2 will be transmitted to thestress distributing member l5 and hence into the bedpost through thescrews 15,:instead of'being transmitted wholly and di-- rectly from thepins to the wood, as heretofore. By thus distributing the stress thejoint construction is very greatly strengthened and the life of thearticle of furniture to which it is applied greatly prolonged.

In the form of invention shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 the stressdistributing member is provided with aligned circular pin receivingapertures 26a in its parallel walls 281; for the reception of pins 53 ofthe b-odpost Hi. .This formof theinvention is primarily intended to beused in original construction or manufacture, the stress distributingmember being incorporated in the furniture joints at the point ofmanufactureof the furniture. For that reason it is unnecessary toprovide slots such as the slots lee of the stress distributing member Itpreviousl described, the pins l3 being passed through the registeringapertures 241a after the stress distributing member 26 has beenassembled with the bedpost l6 and secured in position by means of thescrews 16. The function of the stress distributing member,

however, is the same as before, forces applied directly to the pins l3by the hook plate or a side-rail by which they are engaged beingcommunicated to the bedpost largely through the member 20 and the screws[6, thus widely distributing the stress and greatly prolonging the .lifeof .thestructure. Other specific forms of the .invention'may be devisedwhen problems of generally similar, but specifically different, nature lare presented.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimedas new and desiredto be secured by LettersBatent .is: p

'1. Anarticleof furniture comprising a wooden member "having formedtherein an elongated,

narrow andrelatively deep slot, a metallic pin embedded .in .said memberand bridging said slot, a second'member having a hook plate projectinginto the slot formed in the first member, said hook plate operativelyengaging said pin, and a reinforcing element for providing additionalsupport for said pin to hold the same firmly against movement relativeto the wooden member-in which-it is embedded under themfluence of forcesimposed upon the pin by the hook plate, said element having twoportions, a body portiondisposed within the aforementioned slot formedin said wooden member and substantially in ,parallelrelationship .tosaid hook plate, said body portion extending from .the entrance of theslot in said member to apoint beyond said pin and having formed thereina pin re ceiving slot the opposed edges of which engage the embeddedpin, the second portion of said element-comprising a flange rigid withsaid body portion and disposed without the slot formed in said woodenmember and in contact with the outer surface of said member, and'meansrigidly attaching the flange of said element to said wooden member.

2. An article'of furniture. comprising a wooden member having formedtherein an elongated, narrow and relatively deepslot, a metallic pinembeddedin said member and bridging saidslot, a second memberhaving ahook plate projecting into the slot-formed-in the first member, saidhook plate .operatively engaging said pin, and a reinforcing element forproviding additional support for said pin to hold the same-firmlyagainst movement .relative to the :wooden member .in which it isembeddedunder the influence of forces imposed-upon the pm by the hookplate, said element having twoportions, a body portion disposed withinthe aforementioned slot formedin-said wooden memberand substantially inparallel relationship to said hook plate, said body portion extendingfromthe mouth of the slot in said member to a point beyondsaid pin andhaving formed therein-a pin receiving :slot the opposed .edges of whichengage the embedded pin, the'secondportion of said elementcomprisingaflange rigid with .said body portion and disposed without the :slotformed-in said wooden member and incontact with the outer-surface. ofsaid member, and means rigidly attaching the said flange ofsaid elementto said wooden member ataeplurality-lof spaced points, whereby anyforcesimparted .thereto by the spin will be .distributed to spacedparts ofsaid woodenmember.

.3. An article of furniture comprising a wooden member .having .formedtherein van elongated, narrow .and .relatively .deep .slot, metallic.pin means embedded in .said member and bridging said-slot, alsecond.member having a hook plate projecting-into the. slot. formedin the.firstmemher, said hook plate operatively engaging said pin means, and areinforcing element for providing additional support for said pin meansto hold the same firmly against movement relative to the Wooden memberin which it is embedded under the influence of forces imposed upon thepin means by the hook plate, said element having a body portion disposedwithin the aforementioned slot formed in the wooden member, and havingsubstantially parallel walls upon opposite sides of said hook plate andan interconnecting web means located beyond the end of said hook plate,said body portion being slotted to receive the pin means and the edgesof the slots formed in said walls engaging the embedded pin means, saidelement including two flanges, one integral with each of said walls anddisposed angularly thereto, said flanges engaging the outer surface ofsaid member upon opposite sides of said elongated slot, respectively,and means rigidly attaching each of said flanges to said wooden member.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which said pin means includestwo parallel pins bridging the slot formed in said wooden member, thehook plate operatively engages both of said pins, and the slotting insaid body portion of said element forms parallel pin receiving slots.

5. A furniture repair element for providing additional support for theexposed portions of a hook plate engaging pin embedded in a slottedWooden furniture member, said element having a relatively thin bodyportion adapted to be inserted into a slot in such a member, and aflange adapted to engage the outer surface of such member, said bodyportion comprising two generally parallel thin walls between which ahook plate may be inserted, a narrow web rigidly connectingcorresponding edges of said walls, the Walls and web of said bodyportion being slotted to receive a pin and the edges of the slots formedin said walls being adapted to engage such pin, the flange portion ofsaid element including a flange integral with each of said walls anddisposed at an angle thereto, said flanges being adapted to engagelaterally spaced outer surfaces of such a member, respectively and eachbeing apertured at a plurality of spaced points for the insertion ofwood penetrating securing elements.

6. The furniture repair part described in claim 5 in which the innerends of the open ended slots formed in the parallel walls of said bodyportion, respectively, are curved to snugly engage a pin of circularcross section.

I-IYMAN BERRIL LASTING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 932,233 Adams Aug. 24, 19091,094,980 Cordle Apr. 28, 1914 2,425,927 Elrad Aug. 19, 1947 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 570,616 Germany Feb. 17, 1933 425,473 FranceApr. 6, 1911

